UPDATE: Woman accused of trying to hire 'hit man'

The woman tried to arrange a "two for one" to have both her husband and a tenant killed while she was on a cruise ship, Sarasota Police say.

By SHANNON McFARLAND

New information has emerged — including a possible suspicious death — in the case of a North Port woman who police say tried to hire a “hit man” to kill her husband.

Janeene Lea Jones, 49, was arrested Monday in what police are calling a murder for hire scheme. Police now say not only did Jones try and have her husband killed while she was on a cruise ship, but a tenant too.

Jones reportedly called the plot a “two for one” when she met with a law enforcement agent posing as a hired killer. Police say Jones drew out diagrams of one victim’s home and wrote out personal information about the victim for the agent, agreeing to a future meeting.

One intended victim was her second husband, who she allegedly wanted to kill in order to cash out on a life insurance policy. The other victim was a tenant of a property where she was the landlady. Jones and her tenet are involved in a civil court case that Jones explained was costing her too much money. Jones reportedly told the undercover agent that the tenant “knows way too much.”

Police say they had also received information regarding suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Jones’ first husband, Max Jones, in 2011, including allegations that she had murdered him. Police are chasing down a tip that Jones allegedly received a large amount of money from his life insurance policy.

At the second meeting with the agent, Jones gave the agent a photo of the first victim, explained how to break into the home and told him he could kill the victim by “snapping his neck” or “shooting him,” according Jones’ arrest report.

She also told him to remove the body from the home, telling the agent the “least messy the better.” She also told him that “if they can’t find the body they can’t prove nothing,” the reports say.

Police said Jones planned to have the first murder take place while she was aboard a cruise ship so she would have an alibi. Jones agreed to pay the agent $4,000 for the first victim and make a second payment for the next murder about a month later, telling the agent to make it look like a carjacking, police said.

She was arrested in North Port on Monday after another meeting with the undercover officer. Jones, who lived in the 2500 block of Beaver Terrace, is charged with two felony counts of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, charges that could carry a life sentence.

SPD has declined to release information about how the plot was discovered.

A North Port woman was arrested Monday after trying to hire a “hit man” to kill someone, according to the Sarasota Police Department.

Janeene Lea Jones, 49, of the 2500 block of Beaver Terrace, North Port is charged with two felony counts of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, charges that could carry a life sentence.

SPD detectives began investigating a “murder for hire” they discovered was being planned in North Port. An undercover police officer posing as hired killer met with Jones in Sarasota during the investigation to discuss the alleged murder plan, according to a SPD news release.

On Monday, the detective, with the assistance of the North Port Police Department, planned a meeting in North Port between Jones and an undercover police officer to discuss the details and planning of the murder for hire. During the meeting, Jones reportedly explained, in detail, the person that she wished to have murdered including the person's name, address and a photo of the person. SPD is withholding the name of the person.

Jones also discussed the terms of her plan, including how the person would be murdered and the fact that the killer would have to remove the body so there would be less mess at the scene and less evidence to be found, police said.

Money was exchanged with an additional agreement to have another person murdered in the near future, SPD said.